Chapter 14
Chapter 14:
Kiara had always been a head-turner, and she spared no expense keeping it that way. Even in her forties, she exuded a provocative allure—her curves, her painted lips, the tilt of her chin—all meticulously preserved to captivate.
But tonight, with her outfit barely clinging to decency and her inhibitions long abandoned, the spectacle she made was scandalous even by her standards. A few lecherous men, emboldened by the atmosphere and her open invitation, closed in—grabbing, groping, laughing.
“Ma’am, you must be starving for attention. No man at home to keep you company p>
Kiara spat the words with contempt. “I’ve got a husband, but he’s impotent. I’ve put up with that loser long enough p>
“Well then, tonight’s your lucky break. We’ll turn today into an unforgettable thrill p>
In a digital age where humiliation traveled faster than truth, Kiara’s disgrace exploded across every platform within minutes. News crews swarmed the scene, chasing a story juicier than the Evans family’s headline-grabbing bride swap just the day before.
Tucked discreetly behind a decorative screen on the second floor, Elliana observed the chaos with icy detachment. Everything was unfolding exactly as she’d orchestrated. She’d already pored over the analytics Irene had flagged—the wave of coverage, the comment patterns, the suspicious spikes. Paige was clearly behind the smear campaign, weaponizing her fandom to fan the flames.
As the city’s reigning socialite, Paige had amassed a staggering eighty million followers online. Under her subtle cues, her army of loyal fans launched relentless verbal attacks on Elliana, dragging her name through the mud without pause.
“Elliana’s nothing but an ugly nobody! She’s not even worthy of breathing the same air as Paige—yet somehow she stole Paige’s spot and married into the Evans family? This is a pathetic joke p>
“Elliana clearly trapped Cole with some dirty scheme and forced his hand. The Evans family probably had no other option. There’s no way a man like Cole would willingly marry garbage like her p>
“Let’s be honest—Cole’s the real victim. He and Paige were a perfect match, but that despicable bitch Elliana wormed her way between them. It’s sickening p>
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“Paige was sobbing on her livestream tonight. I couldn’t stand it—she’s way too kind to be treated like this p>
“Elliana is a disgusting tramp! She stole her own sister’s fiancé? That kind of woman deserves to be humiliated publicly p>
The mob of enraged fans kept piling on, an endless flood of vicious remarks targeting Elliana. Even the Evans Group’s official account was swamped with furious comments, as the mob demanded her removal from the Evans family.
Their voices were so loud, so relentless, that they drowned out any trace of reason, creating the illusion that the entire city wanted Elliana banished from the Evans family.
But Elliana had already analyzed the data. To her, the outrage was nothing more than a noisy illusion. All it would take was exposing Paige’s carefully constructed image for the fraud it was—once her followers saw the rot beneath the gloss, the frenzy would collapse on its own.
And today, the Jones family’s plot had gifted Elliana the perfect weapon. Kiara’s public meltdown had nothing to do with Paige directly, but the connection was close enough to smear Paige by association. Elliana didn’t hesitate—she seized the moment.
Standing beside Elliana, Cole observed the unfolding chaos with a mix of curiosity and admiration. The calm, calculating way she turned the tide left him genuinely impressed.
Meanwhile, Darin and Paige had been holed up in their private room, anxiously waiting for any word from Kiara. But when their messages went unanswered and every call rang through to voicemail, they finally gave up and went looking for her.
Out in the hallway, they ran into a few familiar executives. Darin, ever the opportunist, immediately launched into small talk, trying to fish for investment leads and salvage potential deals.
Not long ago, the Jones family had made a flashy spectacle of announcing a five-hundred-million-dollar wedding gift—an aggressive move that gutted their financial reserves.
Darin had counted on Paige securing her place in the Evans family to seal those strategic partnerships and bring in fresh capital. But with Elliana suddenly taking Paige’s spot at the altar, everything had unraveled.
Elliana’s reputation as an unremarkable, plain woman with no social standing made her a liability in the eyes of potential allies. No one wanted to tie their future…
To a woman the Evans family might discard at any moment, and that doubt cast a long shadow over the Jones Group.
Now teetering on the edge of collapse, the Jones Group was running out of time. Darin was at his breaking point—exhausted, panicked, and plagued by sleepless nights.
These executives had always kept up appearances with Darin, but today, something about their expressions was off—guarded, amused, almost pitying. One of them, a known troublemaker who’d already seen the footage of Kiara’s disgrace, leaned in with a faux-innocent grin. “Mr. Jones, where’s that brilliant wife of yours today p>
Darin’s smile faltered for a beat before he forced it back into place. “She had something urgent come up. Couldn’t make it p>
The executive nodded, barely hiding his smirk. “Ah, such a shame. Everyone knows your wife is stunning—and daring. You’re a lucky man, Mr. Jones. The rest of us can only envy you p>
The other executives turned away, shoulders shaking as they tried not to burst out laughing.
Darin, still riding high on what he thought were genuine compliments, beamed even brighter and puffed up with pride. “You flatter me. How about a drink? My treat p>
But before anyone could answer, Paige tugged urgently at Darin’s sleeve and murmured, “Dad, we’ve got a serious problem p>
Confused, Darin took her phone and glanced at the screen. In an instant, his smile vanished. His entire face went stiff. The dots connected all at once—the sly grins, the mock-flattery. They hadn’t been praising him. They were mocking him, and he’d practically rolled out a red carpet for the humiliation.
“Seems like you have something urgent to handle, Mr. Jones,” one of the executives said smoothly, barely holding back a smirk. “We’ll catch up another time p>
The executives could barely hide their amusement as they quickly walked away.
Darin stood frozen, humiliated heat creeping up his neck. His fists clenched at his sides as fury surged through him, hot and overwhelming, ready to boil over.